Wayne Rooney has hailed Max Dowman and predicted a “massive future” for the Arsenal schoolboy after his Premier League debut against Leeds United.
Dowman, aged just 15 years and 234 days, became the second youngest player in Arsenal’s history when he replaced Noni Madueke in the second half of the 5-0 win at the Emirates.
The teenager won a late penalty, converted by Viktor Gyökeres, to crown a remarkable 26-minute introduction.
Rooney, who made his Everton debut at 16 and scored his first Premier League goal against Arsenal just short of his 17th birthday, admitted he was taken aback by Dowman’s breakthrough.
Speaking on his BBC podcast, The Wayne Rooney Show, the former England captain said: “To play at that age in the Premier League is crazy. I know I played when I was young, but I think he’s like 150 days younger than I was, or more.
“For Max and his family and friends, I’m sure they’re all living in a dream and a fairytale and it probably hasn’t hit home yet. But you can see his future is so bright, he is going to have a massive future. Everyone you speak to in football, the same name keeps coming back: Max Dowman.”
Dowman’s appearance places him just behind Ethan Nwaneri, who at 15 years and 181 days became the Premier League’s youngest ever player in Arsenal’s win at Brentford in September 2022.
Both now sit at the top of Arsenal’s list of record-breaking teenagers, with Jack Porter remaining the club’s youngest starter after his appearance against Bolton Wanderers at 16 years and 72 days.
Rooney, who understands the impact of being propelled into senior football so young, reflected on the challenge Dowman now faces. “It’s surreal. It’s so strange that one minute you’re in the youth team and the next you’re in the first-team dressing room with some of your heroes.
“It’s something you really need to get used to quickly because it can be overwhelming. Max Dowman looks like a very level-headed lad from everything I’ve seen and you hope he manages to deal with it and understands what’s coming his way very soon.”
Mikel Arteta echoed those sentiments, describing the teenager as unusually mature for his age after his appearance against Leeds. “This is what we see every single day in training,” the Arsenal manager said.
“There is a kid with a level of maturity, stability and hunger that is very difficult to see. And obviously to Per [Mertesacker], the academy, all the coaches and everyone who has been involved in that journey, because there is a kid here that has zero hesitation.
“He’s so convinced that he can go at 15 and deliver that, which I have never witnessed in my life.”
Dowman does not turn 16 until New Year’s Eve.